What breed of dog is Scooby-Doo?

What breed of dog is Scooby-Doo? Scooby-Doo is a Great Dane.

Scooby is the talking canine star of Hanna-Barbera’s Scooby-Doo franchise and Shaggy Rogers’ lifelong companion. His fictional breed is consistently identified as Great Dane, even though his proportions and behavior are exaggerated for comedy and animation.

Designer Iwao Takamoto intentionally made Scooby look unlike an ideal show-quality Great Dane. He gave the character a sloping back, bowed legs, a long tail, a small chin, spots, and other traits opposite to the features prized by breeders. That design choice is why Scooby may not resemble a realistic pedigree example.

Scooby’s breed is sometimes confused with other large dogs because of his brown coat, black spots, and cartoon anatomy. The character was initially developed under earlier concepts, but by the 1969 series pitch, he had been established as a cowardly Great Dane. He is also famous for speaking in broken English, loving food, and sharing Shaggy’s fear of danger.